tort

[tawrt] /tɔrt/

noun, Law.

a wrongful act, not including a breach of contract or trust, that results in injury to another's person, property, reputation, or the like, and for which the injured party is entitled to compensation.

Origin

1350-1400; Middle English: injury, wrong < Old French < Medieval Latin tortum wrong, injustice, noun use of neuter of Latin tortus twisted, crooked, dubious, past participle of torquēre to twist, wring

Examples from the web for tort

Getting kids more active would also help, and one of the biggest obstacles here is our demented tort system.
We must end the junk lawsuits and enact tort reform.
In an effort to win bipartisan support, he raised the prospect of reforming the controversial system of medical tort.
Tiny steps in the direction of tort reform are also provided for.
One of his suggested solutions was to use the tort system to impose those costs, but regulation certainly is another method.
The efficiency of the tort system is difficult to measure because information about its benefits is so sparse.
tort law is almost exclusively contained in state law, and the large majority of tort cases are filed in state courts.
Damages in tort are quantified under two headings general damages and special damages.

British Dictionary definitions for tort

tort

/tɔːt/

noun

(law) a civil wrong arising from an act or failure to act, independently of any contract, for which an action for personal injury or property damages may be brought

Word Origin

C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin tortum, literally: something twisted, from Latin torquēre to twist

Word Origin and History for tort

mid-13c., "injury, wrong," from Old French tort (11c.), from Medieval Latin tortum "injustice," noun use of neuter of tortus "wrung, twisted," past participle of Latin torquere "turn, turn awry, twist, wring, distort" (see thwart). Legal sense of "breach of a duty, whereby someone acquires a right of action for damages" is first recorded 1580s.